1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to mobile communication. More specifically, the present invention concerns synchronization and management of electronic messages (e-mail) and personal information management (PIM) data between a mobile device and a server.
2. Description of the Related Art
Software for performing two-way synchronization of e-mail and PIM data such as calendar, contact, task, and other data are well known in the art. Such software solutions perform synchronization between a mobile device and a server that initially receives e-mail or PIM data, such as a Microsoft® Exchange Server. The software may also synchronize e-mail and PIM data on a client device with corresponding data at the server. Changes made to e-mail or PIM data on the mobile device are recognized by the server. These changes may then be reflected at a typical (and often less mobile) client device such as a desktop computer or workstation communicatively coupled to the server.
The BlackBerry® suite of mobile devices allow for a user to access e-mail and PIM data while ‘out of the office’ or to generate new e-mail and PIM data while ‘on the go.’ The Microsoft® Exchange Server line of server products provides enterprise level management of e-mail and various types of PIM data. BlackBerry® mobile devices and Microsoft® Exchange Servers are both individually well known and widely implemented with respect to access and management of e-mail and PIM data.
To allow for a BlackBerry® mobile device to connect to a Microsoft® Exchange Server, however, requires a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server from Research in Motion Limited. This cumbersome solution implements additional software operating between the Exchange Server and mobile device. This middleware solution is required in order to allow for synchronization of e-mail and PIM data between the Smartphone and Microsoft® Exchange Server. BlackBerry® Enterprise Servers are relatively expensive costing as much as $5000 USD in some instances.
Microsoft Corporation, in turn, implements a software solution known as Microsoft® ActiveSync to be used in conjunction with Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007. ActiveSync® provides the functionality of an Exchange Server, but does so specifically in the context of mobile devices. ActiveSync® does not work with a variety of devices, including BlackBerry® Smartphones.
The need and cost of a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and the lack of inter-device functionality in the ActiveSync® software solution are just two examples facing users and information technology professionals demanding or wishing to provide for out of the office connectivity to e-mail and PIM data. These and other so-called solutions in the marketplace suffer from the inability to map object identifiers, identify objects changes, and preclude data loss. Queue and transaction management as well as message prioritization and object versioning serialization are also lacking in any number of synchronization and management solutions.
There is a need in the art for a stable, reliable, cost-effective, and easy to manage solution that allows for synchronization and management of e-mail and PIM data between a mobile device and server notwithstanding the fact that the device and server may use disparate communication or synchronization protocols.